Special Report: Cyber secure in an information age

In the digital age we live in, are you really as safe as you think you are?

VIN.place is just one of hundreds of websites that provides personal information to the public, free of charge. With a simple VIN number search, you can often find the name of the vehicle’s owner as well as where that person lives.

While it may be unnerving, officials say most of these websites are 100 percent legal. That’s because, through our Internet use, we leave a digital footprint and provide our own personal information more often than we may think.

“How much information is gathered about you that you’re not even aware of?” Joe Bindbeutel, Chief Counsel of Consumer Protection with the Attorney General’s Office mused to ABC 17 News. “You visit a website, somebody knows. You make a phone call, somebody knows.”

But what does this mean for our personal information in an age where we Google everything? Law enforcement officials say your best defense is being wary of what you put out there to begin with.

“We’re never going to go back to the way things were in the 50s, 60s or 70s,” Tom O’Sullivan, Detective, Boone County Sheriff’s Department, tells ABC 17 News. “But we stress, you know, be very very careful who you give your information to.”

VIN.place has a notice on their website that says all the information provided is public. There is a disclaimer saying visitors agree to use the information for lawfully acceptable purposes, but officials warn there no means for it to be monitored.

“Frankly the mere gathering of publicly available information and using that information in a commercial way and selling that data–not only is it lawful, it’s largely unregulated,” Bindbeutel tells ABC 17 News.

As technology gets better and better, deputies say they have seen a rise in crime. But, when it comes to legal ramifications, lawmakers are one step behind.

“There are no laws that say data brokers need to be licensed or need to perform to perform to some level of accuracy,” Bindbeutel tells ABC 17 News, adding, “There is no legal framework at this point to even begin to regulate that activity.”

While the gathering of data may be unregulated, authorities say there are legal consequences if that data is used for criminal activity.

Unfortunately, tracking down those criminals is easier said than done.

“It’s very difficult to make cases on some of these people,” O’Sullivan explains. “Many of these people who perpetrate criminal activity online are pretty good at covering their tracks.”

In terms of legislation, officials say one legal road block is defining consent in the digital age. As a society we have yet to determine what’s public and what’s private information.

“What is consent in this day and age?” Bindbeutel questions.

One way to protect yourself is to opt out of some of these websites, but at the end of the day, it all comes down to the information you provide.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and remember, just because a merchant asks you for information, does not mean it’s vital to that transaction.

“I think preemptive is a good word,” O’Sullivan says. “Instead of opting out, do everything you can to where your name doesn’t wind up on one of these websites.”